The Rogue Wave Precipitator
by Guitars1964
Summary: My first Fan Fiction. Drama, not comedy. Leonard's off to the North Sea as Penny deals with his absence. Sheldon learns that the weather in the North Sea is getting bad, and Leonard's usual daily emails to Penny and Sheldon don't arrive. Then life literally turns upside down for everyone.
1. Chapter 1

_FANFICTION for The Big Bang Theory_

_(Note: Performed some minor editing/grammatical fixes on all chapters on 6/11/13, resulting in updating of all chapters)_

"The Rogue Wave Precipitator"

Chapter 1 - A Long Summer Ahead

Penny stood before her bathroom mirror, finishing her makeup. It was 6:45PM - the whole group was expected at Sheldon's at 7PM for Chinese take out. As she looked in the mirror she focused for a moment on the heart locket that she had worn since Leonard gave it to her in the car at the airport. It was the first jewelry he had given her and she treasured it. Six weeks since Leonard left for the North Sea - she hadn't imagined just how much she would miss him. Another nine weeks until he'd come home. "It's gonna be a long summer," she whispered to herself as she flipped off the bathroom light.

The dinner party across the hall would be the first time that everyone would be together for dinner since Leonard had left on May 16th. She'd shared a weekly night of talk and wine with Amy and Bernadette and spoke with Sheldon almost daily, but without Leonard there the group events hadn't happened. Tonight was Bernadette's idea, probably, Penny thought, because Bernie wanted to give Penny a boost during Leonard's absence.

The party might be good for Raj, too, who was still hurting after the break up with Lucy. Penny felt really bad for Raj, but she wondered if it wasn't for the best - Lucy's social anxiety problems were pretty severe, and all of Raj's support and love probably weren't going to "fix" Lucy's fears. If there was a positive to the sad ending it was that Raj seemed to have somehow conquered his selective mutism. Now if he'd only come up for air once in a while and let someone else talk!

She thought for a moment about how much her life had changed over the past six years, well at least socially. She could see in her mind's eye that first meeting with Sheldon and Leonard the day she moved into Apt 4B at 2311Los Robles Avenue. They were so awkward and, in their own way, very cute. Then there was Raj, who until recently couldn't speak to women while he was sober, and Howard, the sometimes creepy guy who thought he was such a lady's man. Penny's friend from the restaurant, Bernadette, had changed Howard for the better. Amy, the arranged blind date for Sheldon, was an odd one, but she had gradually opened up and seemed to love being part of their family of friends. Penny was grateful that she had found such a close group of friends, all of whom were, she knew, way above her educational level. But Penny also realized that her own street smarts sometimes trumped their academic degrees in day-to-day living.

Penny grabbed the chilled bottle of Riesling and the cheese from the fridge to take next door. She heard Howard and Bernie knocking at Sheldon's door, and she'd heard Amy and Raj arrive earlier. It would be good to be together, but Penny knew that Leonard's absence would be palpable.

But first, one more peek at her laptop to see if there was a new email from Leonard - he was pretty faithful with at least one long email a day, mostly stuff about the experiments he was working on. Although Leonard tried in the emails to explain his work in a way that would be easier for Penny to understand, she still didn't make much of that high techie-techie stuff. But she always smiled, reading the emails, at Leonard's enthusiasm and excitement about the trip, what he was learning and contributing, and how important it was to his career. She was really proud of him. "My boyfriend, the experimental physicist," she laughed out loud. Who'd have imagined?

Leonard's emails were also spiced with personal things about their relationship and what it meant to him. His expressions of love didn't scare her like they used to, and she thought back to the airport goodbye and her "I love you" to Leonard. She had said it first that day (Leonard was a little gun-shy about saying it first, given Penny's past reactions). She was proud of herself for telling him how she felt as they sat in the car. And she knew how happy it had made Leonard to hear her say the big "ILY" so deliberately and passionately.

Penny shared her daily life in her emails to Leonard too, and she had become more open about expressions of affection in her emails to him. In contrast to the excitement of Leonard's life aboard the _Research Vessel Copenhagen_, Penny's life was pretty quiet - mostly waiting tables at the Cheesecake Factory. She'd recently had a couple of acting auditions, one of which went especially well. But she hadn't heard back yet, and Penny had learned to keep her hopes in check with these acting calls. She wondered when, or even if, she was going to get her big break.

The phone connections hadn't been as reliable as Leonard had thought, and, for some reason, Skyping didn't seem to work well either, so those precious emails served as their primary link. Although she ached to see him and hold him, Penny was the happiest she'd ever been, with Leonard firmly in her life. He was unlike any man she'd ever dated before, and she knew that the feelings she had for him was unlike any feelings she'd ever had. These next nine weeks can't go by fast enough, she thought.

She'd written him earlier in the day, telling him about the group's dinner plans at Sheldon's, and she'd hoped she'd have something back from him which she could share with the others. She'd received a brief email from him early this morning, but Leonard said the weather had gotten a little rough and uncomfortable, and he needed to get out of his cabin up to the vessel's bridge to calm his stomach.

But, Penny realized, it's 4AM now on the _R/V Copenhagen_ - Leonard will be fast asleep so no more emails from him till tomorrow. Closing the laptop, she sighed. "Can't wait till tomorrow's update from Leonard", she said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Catching up with Friends

Penny crossed the hall to Apt 4A - no need to knock first, she never had. As she opened the door, the first words she heard were "Hello, Penny" from Raj. He hadn't had a drink yet, and it was still a little hard to get used to his newfound voice with women. The others chimed in with their greetings, except for Sheldon, who was entranced in staring at his laptop screen. Leonard had periodically emailed Sheldon approximate latitude and longitude coordinates of the _R/V Copenhagen's_ position in the North Sea, and Sheldon, while often publicly feigning disinterest, seemed to spend a lot of time tracking the vessel as it moved around, according to Amy.

Finally Sheldon stood up and greeted Penny. Sheldon sported his new Iron Man 3 T-shirt that Amy had bought him. Raj seemed to be in pretty good spirits, and it was good to see him smiling. Even though Penny saw Bernadette regularly for a girls' night, she actually hadn't seen Howard in about a month, and it was somehow comforting to see him in his usual flashy clothes. Everything about the apartment, down to the containers of take out food, made it seem like it always had, except for the one member of the group who wasn't there and whom Penny missed so much. Anyway, tonight's party would be a nice distraction, she tried to convince herself.

"Any news on that latest audition, Penny?" asked Amy and Bernadette, almost simultaneously. Penny smiled and shook her head, "Nothing yet, but I am hopeful. It sure seemed like they liked me."

"What's the audition for?" Howard asked as he reached for his ordered dinner container.

"It's actually for a lead in a TV movie - one of those Lifetime romance movies. It looks like it might be a good role, but, let's face it, I don't have much of a resume for TV roles, and I don't know if they'll want to take a chance on an unknown," Penny replied.

"Well, you must be positive, Penny," Raj offered. "It's what you've been telling me, and so I say the same to you. You'd be great, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Raj. We'll see what happens," Penny nodded as she started eating. She hadn't had that much of an appetite, she'd noticed, since Leonard left, but tonight she was hungry and was looking forward to sharing a meal with the group.

As Sheldon sat down in his usual spot on the couch, he mentioned to Penny that he hadn't heard from Leonard today. Penny, finishing another bite of her sesame chicken, shook her head and said, "Well, I only got a short email from Leonard early this morning. I guess the weather wasn't too good and being in his cabin made him feel worse, even with the Dramamine dosages."

"I've done a little research on the North Sea summer weather, and it actually can be stormy at times," replied Sheldon. Never one to spare anyone concern, Sheldon went further, "In fact, according to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, it seems the North Sea is having some rather extreme conditions at the moment."

Penny looked at Sheldon and glanced at the others with concern, as she thought about Leonard and the lack of his usual end of the day email. Amy gave Sheldon one her dagger glances that was intended to inform Sheldon that he didn't need to scare Penny with his Internet weather information.

Sheldon, recognizing he'd apparently somehow breached social etiquette, tried to backstep by offering facts about the boat Leonard now called his summer home, "_The R/V Copenhagen_ is 215 feet long, 50 feet wide, and displaces 2,500 metric tons, fully loaded. So it's a sturdy ship - I'm sure he'll be fine."

Sheldon threw a quick look to Amy to see if she approved of his additional commentary. She nodded. But it wasn't what Penny needed to hear. She didn't know much about the North Sea (didn't know where it was until Leonard showed her on the map before he left), and she really hadn't given any thought to weather conditions there. And Leonard's emails never said much about bad weather. He had acclimated pretty well to the motion of the boat, although he still needed occasional Dramamine to keep his system "homeostasis", as Penny liked to joke.

Despite Bernadette's previous admonition to Howard to cool it on talking about his trip to the International Space Station, Howard couldn't help but slip in a comment about motion sickness in outer space.

"That motion sickness is no fun up in space, either," Howard quipped. "I can tell you stories about the trips to the bathroom on the ISS - good thing I fixed the toilet!" He dared not meet eyes with Bernie, who, Howard was sure, was probably giving him THE LOOK. But he'd been pretty good about it in general and thought she'd give him a pass just this once.

"Monkeys went to space, Howard," Sheldon dryly retorted, just to be sure Howard's reference to his space adventure didn't go unchallenged. It was the same line Sheldon had thrown back at Howard at Leonard's going away party, but Sheldon thought it was worth another shot. Penny managed a laugh, and forgot for a moment about Sheldon's comment about the weather in the North Sea. It was a big, safe ship, wasn't it? she wondered. Stephen Hawking wouldn't send these scientists out on this expedition on anything less, she reassured herself.

The evening went by quickly, and it felt good to Penny to have everyone together. Howard offered a toast to their good friend, Leonard, and they all raised their glasses with him.

Bernie interjected, "And, Penny, we're gonna have a nice celebration for Leonard when he gets back."

Penny smiled, as she wished there weren't nine more weeks until that happened. As she sat there listening to the others talk, she realized how much her feelings toward Leonard had grown over the past year, and in the six weeks since he'd left those feelings had grown even more. She had started to think about the future, one that now, she was sure, had to include Leonard. Boy, her life had really changed!

It was getting late, and although it was a Friday night and the others weren't working on Saturday, it had been a busy week for the group and everyone was getting tired. Penny helped Amy and Bernie clear the dishes and clean up while Sheldon, Raj and Howard talked about some recent breakthrough in scientific research that they'd just read in one the premier science journals.

With the cleanup done, hugs, kisses and goodnights concluded the evening, and Penny headed across the hall to her apartment. As she entered her place and the door closed behind her, the living room seemed strangely cold and unwelcoming, and she felt lonely in a way that was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Why was she feeling this way? she wondered. She'd just been with her closest friends, and her apartment had always been a place of comfort to her. She opened up her laptop one more time, hoping that just maybe Leonard had been up extra late and had sent her a "good night" email. She clicked the Get Mail button for any new incoming messages, but there was nothing. She missed Leonard even more and almost wanted to cry.

She prepared for bed, climbed in and grabbed one of the teddy bears that Leonard had often joked about ("I feel like they're all looking at me," he'd sometimes say). A good night's sleep will help, and tomorrow will be one day closer to her physicist boyfriend's return.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Late Night Phone Calls and Knocks on the Door

Sheldon was fast asleep when the phone rang. He had been in a deep sleep and it took a moment for him to come around. As he reached for the phone, he squinted in the dark room at the digital clock next to his bed - 4:47AM, only a few hours since everyone had left the apartment after their Friday night get together. He pushed the Talk button and, in a somewhat froggy voice, answered "Hello?".

"Sheldon, this is Leonard's mother, Dr. Beverly Hofstadter," said the stern voice. Sheldon, still half asleep and confused, responded with only a short "Yes?".

"Sheldon, I've just been contacted by Cal Tech - something terrible has happened," Leonard's mother said. "I guess I was still listed as an emergency contact - must have been something he did years ago. But... well, something happened to that boat Leonard was on. I'm being told some kind of a big wave hit the boat broadside and, well, they're not sure. They don't know. There has been no contact from the boat in 5 hours. Nothing. They have reason to believe that the boat may have gone down."

By now Sheldon was fully upright in bed. He'd turned on the end table light and was trying to fully comprehend what this meant.

"Dr. Hofstadter, what about Leonard? Is he OK? I don't understand what you are telling me," Sheldon squealed.

"Sheldon, they just don't know anything right now," she replied. "There are Denmark Search and Rescue aircraft up looking, and apparently 2 US Navy destroyers are heading to the last known GPS coordinates." Dr. Hofstadter, not known for displaying even the most microscopic of emotions, sounded emotional and almost panicked.

"Sheldon, I'll have to ask you to let Penny and the others know what's happened," she said. "I have given the people at Cal Tech your phone number as a contact person so they can keep you and your friends briefed directly. You may also hear from someone from the US Embassy in Denmark - they should have your number by now."

Dr. Hofstadter's voice broke slightly, "We'll just have to hope for the best. I'll be in touch, Sheldon. Goodbye."

Sheldon, now almost shaking, stuttered out a "Goodbye" in response and slowly hung up the phone.

He felt strangely very alone in his bedroom, in the apartment that he shared with his best friend, Leonard. What does all this mean? he asked himself. Sheldon got out of bed and put on his bathrobe. He had to tell the others, but was fearful of telling Penny first by himself. He was never very good as a comforting friend, and he was worried about how Penny would react. Sheldon dialed Amy's number.

"Hello?" was the quiet response from Amy. Sheldon cleared his throat and told Amy about the call from Leonard's mother. Amy felt a chill run up her back. How could this be happening to one of her new friends, the boyfriend of her "BFF"?

Amy cleared her head and engaged her rational, task-oriented thinking, "Sheldon, I'm getting dressed and I'll be right over. Don't tell Penny until I get there. And I'm calling Bernadette and Howard right now." Sheldon was relieved - he needed some backup before waking Penny. Sheldon started to hope that maybe before they'd wake Penny he'd get a call that Leonard was OK. How would they tell Penny that no one knows if Leonard's OK or not?

At Howard's and Bernadette's apartment, the phone call startled them both. It was now 5:05 AM - they always knew that late night/early morning phone calls were rarely good news. Upon hearing Amy's words, Bernadette starting crying, and Howard was near tears himself. They told Amy they'd meet her at Sheldon's shortly, and after dressing and starting the car, with Bernie driving, Howard called Raj to let him know. Raj was at first silent and then responded to Howard with a short "I'll be right there."

By 5:45 AM Saturday morning the five of them were standing in Sheldon's apartment, all trying to make sense out of Dr. Hofstadter's call. Sheldon wasn't sure who at Cal Tech to call, but he wanted to make sure they had the most up to date information. Howard had a contact at Cal Tech and called the personal cell number of Dr. Richard Gorman, who Howard thought would be able to help. Dr. Gorman answered his cell immediately - he had been up all night. Unfortunately, he had no new information to offer, but assured Howard that he'd be notified as soon as updates were available.

Sheldon, Amy, Raj, Howard and Bernie all agreed to go across the hall to Penny's and tell her together. But what could they tell her? There was so little information about what had happened and the condition of the ship and persons on board. They all trembled as they contemplated how she would react to the news. It was so unfair - this was _their_ Leonard, _Penny's_ Leonard. This can't be happening.

Bernie gathered them together, "Look this is really tough, but we have to try to be positive for Penny. She's going to need us to be strong, and we are going to need each other. We just have to hope and pray that our friend, Leonard, is OK. He just has to be!" With that, Bernadette broke down in Howard's arms.

Howard helped Bernie regain her composure, and quietly they opened the door of Apt 4A and walked across the hall. Although Sheldon had a key for Penny's apartment, they decided it would be better to knock instead. Sheldon took the lead and began his customary knock on Penny's door. At that hour of the morning, his knocking sounded much louder than usual. They all held their breath waiting for their good friend to open her door.

This was going to be a very long day for all of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Penny's Nightmare

The combination of the wine and the late night at Sheldon's had Penny in a deep sleep. The knocking sound in her head seemed to come from a distant place. But it wouldn't stop and she slowly slid from her slumber into a twilight state, and realized that the knocking sound was real. She felt a little hung over as she stumbled to the door, wondering what nonsense Sheldon was up to now. She usually had enough patience for him, but this was almost 6 AM and she was tired.

As she opened the door, she furrowed her eyebrows in quizzical wonder at the sight of all five of them standing there. Penny's first thought was that this was some kind of poorly-timed gag, but the stern looks on the faces of each of them confused her.

"Penny, we need to come in," Sheldon blurted.

"What's going on, you guys?" Penny asked. "What the hell is wrong?"

Sheldon started to explain the call, but he began to fumble his words and couldn't finish. Bernadette sat Penny down and recited the phone call from Leonard's mother and the confirmation of the facts, such as they were, from Dr. Gorman of Cal Tech. Penny sat on her couch, at first confused, but as she became awake and started processing what Bernie was saying, Penny began to shake. Amy grabbed the extra blanket from Penny's bedroom and covered her. But the shaking continued.

Howard, trying to put on a brave face, explained, "Look Penny, we don't have much information yet, so we can't assume the worst. And we have people at Cal Tech and the US Embassy that will let us know as soon as they hear something."

Raj looked at Sheldon and exclaimed, "Sheldon, what phone number will they call? Is it your home cordless phone? Where is that phone - you should have it with you!" Amy jumped up and ran across the hall to get the cordless phone. Her heart raced as she wondered if there would be any messages on it - but no.

Penny didn't say a word for what seemed like an eternity. Then she started talking about Leonard, about the heart locket, about their goodbye at the airport. She was speaking very calmly - the five others all looked at each other. Penny didn't seem to fully grasp the news. Maybe this is what they mean about being in shock, Howard thought. Just then, Amy, with her neuroscience background, confirmed Howard's suspicion.

"She's in shock, you guys," Amy observed. "Let's just keep her warm."

"Penny, sweetie, we're all here for you," Bernie whispered through her moist eyes.

Penny looked up at Sheldon, and then glanced around the group with a half-smile and said, "I think I should call my dad - he likes Leonard. I think I should talk to him right now." Those words trailed off as Penny started to reach for the phone.

"Penny, let me dial it for you and I'll just say hello to your dad first, OK?" asked Bernie. Penny nodded obediently, and gave Bernie the phone number in Nebraska. Mostly likely Penny's dad was still asleep himself, and Bernie wasn't looking forward to waking him up with this news.

"Hello?" was the groggy response from Wyatt.

"Hi, I'm sorry to wake you up, but this is Bernadette Wolowitz, a friend of Penny's."

Wyatt shot back, "Is my baby alright? What happened - where is she?" Bernie briefly tried to outline what the group knew at that point, which wasn't much, and that they were all with Penny in her apartment. Bernie handed the phone to Penny.

"Daddy? Something bad has happened to Leonard and we don't know if he's OK or not and they won't tell us anything." With that Penny completely fell apart, dropping the phone as she began to cry hysterically. Bernie picked up the phone and talked to Wyatt.

"I'm calling Cal Tech, or the State Department, or somebody," Wyatt yelled. "Somebody's got to have some information!" Bernie explained that Sheldon and Howard were in touch with Cal Tech and that the US Embassy in Denmark also had Sheldon's phone number. Wyatt calmed down but was shaken, trying to figure out what he could do to make things better.

"Tell Penny I wish I could be there with her, but with my broken leg I can't travel" Wyatt said to Bernie. "Bernadette, please call me as soon as you hear something."

With that, the phone connection ended. Sheldon took back the phone and saw the display showed a new message. He dialed up the voicemail system and listened to the voice of Dr. Gorman of Cal Tech giving Sheldon the grim update. It appeared there was a catastrophic event with the _R/V Copenhagen_, but a full-out search was being conducted for survivors. The Navy vessels were in the general area, but if there were survivors, in the water or a life raft, it was going to be rough work to locate them because of the very rough seas and the 50 knot winds that could cause life rafts to drift well beyond the last known vessel coordinates. The low cloud ceiling was making it difficult for the SAR aircraft to safely scan the water for any signs of survivors.

"Sheldon, please call me when you get this message so I know you received it. I am trying not to be too pessimistic and I'd ask you to use discretion in what information you provide to Leonard's other friends, especially his girlfriend. There is no point in making them despair - there is still hope. Goodbye." Dr. Gorman's message was short and to the point.

Sheldon looked up at the others. Keeping secrets was never something Sheldon was comfortable with, and using "discretion" to decide what information was appropriate to share only burdened him. But as he looked at their faces and the tear-stained face of Penny, something tugged at Sheldon, and he finally said,

"That was Dr. Gorman of Cal Tech. No new information yet". He glanced at Amy, and Amy seemed to understand that Sheldon, uncharacteristically, was holding something back.

It was 6:30AM by now, and the lack of sleep called for a large pot of coffee. Bernie found the coffee in Penny's kitchen and got the coffee underway. They were, although overtired, still wired with adrenaline from all that had happened over the past 2 hours, but the smell of the coffee offered some comfort.

What had happened out there in the North Sea, and what about their friend Leonard? As each of them contemplated those questions, the answers were too scary to even imagine. Somehow, someway, Leonard had to be alive.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Adrift

Lying on the floor of the life raft, he was shivering. Even though it was summer, it was the North Sea and the unusual storm brought colder temperatures. He was completely soaked in his clothes, and the bottom of the raft was filled with water. It was, by such standards, a pretty good-sized enclosed raft - rated for 6 occupants, but even in the dark Leonard sensed he was alone.

Everything had happened so fast. The seas were enormous at the time it happened. The vessel was trying to point into the wind and take the waves over the bow. Somehow the boat suddenly veered to port and shortly after that an unusually large wave - Leonard remembered stories about such "rogue waves" - hit the vessel broadside, knocking it down to a nearly horizontal position. Leonard had been in the bridge of the vessel at the time. Earlier, the ship's captain had told Leonard to move to the next level down, as the bridge was at high risk for damage from waves hitting the windows, but the violent action had made it impossible for Leonard to leave.

When the ship took the knock down, it took on water through a number of water-tight doors that hadn't been properly secured. Water was pouring into the ship. Leonard remembers being thrown into the wall of the bridge - he felt pain but in the violent motion he wasn't aware of his injuries.

Before he knew it he was in the water - thank God he had one of those Personal Flotation Devices on, which was basically a high quality life vest. It kept his head above water, although the high waves and rain caused him to ingest a lot of water. He saw something on the water near the foundering ship - it was a flashing light. He made his way to it and realized it was a life raft- the emergency type that automatically inflates when it hits the water. Leonard struggled to climb in - his injuries made it difficult to use all his strength, but eventually he got himself into the raft. In the darkness he tried to see inside the raft - the flashing light on the outside provided a little illumination to the inside. Sadly, there was no one else in the raft - he was alone. But, at least for the moment, he was alive.

Aching with pain, and waterlogged, he hung on to the rope line inside the raft - the ocean was angry and the raft was being tossed about. Leonard feared at any moment that the raft would be upended and he'd find himself back in the cold ocean water. It all happened so fast - there was no time to think about anything else but survival. If he could stay alive in the storm, there would be time enough to think about Penny, his friends, his life back in Pasadena and whether he'd ever seen them again.

He groped around inside the raft - water was sloshing everywhere but he was hoping to find something, anything that might help him survive, if he was going to be in the life raft for days. He didn't know much about these things, but he thought he remembered someone telling him at a safety demonstration 6 weeks ago that the rafts were equipped with survival supplies. Groping in the water he found a box - in the light of the flashing raft light he saw the letters E-P-I-R-B. Now what was that, oh yeah - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Hopefully, this thing works, he thought. Leonard felt around the orange box for something that would feel like an On switch. What's this- click! Suddenly a little red light on the device started flashing. It was, in the midst of the storm, reassuring. If the EPIRB worked properly it would send an emergency signal which could be picked up by aircraft or vessels. Someone will find him... they had to.

Then there was Penny - he hadn't come this far with their relationship to have it all end in a waterlogged life raft in the North Sea. Was he really alone out here? Did no one else get free of the Copenhagen? Were there any other life rafts out there with survivors? He thought about the other scientists onboard, people he now counted as friends, and the ship's crew. The crew had good-heartedly teased him about his nerdiness, but were all so impressed by the photograph of his beautiful actress girlfriend. All gone? It couldn't be happening. Despite the water and the aching of his injuries, somehow Leonard drifted off to sleep.

When Leonard came to, he realized he could see inside the life raft - it must be daylight now, he thought. The watch he'd been wearing was gone - must have somehow come off during the ship's capsize. He looked around the raft - the EPIRB was still there, its little red light still flashing. The motion of the ocean seemed less intense, and less water was being shipped inside the raft. It felt warmer, although he was still soaked, which didn't help. He worried about hypothermia. He spotted a small bag attached to the inside of the raft -"Emergency Supplies". Leonard crawled over to the other side of the raft and opened the bag - 6 bottles of water and some kind of food - energy bars or something.

He pulled out one of the bottles and struggled to open the cap - finally it came off and he drank the whole bottle. He looked out the raft opening - all he could see were the waves, the gray water churning all around him and a gray sky. Everything was gray. The ocean blended into the sky. The clouds seemed like he could almost reach up and touch them. And no sight of the vessel he'd call home for 6 weeks, no other life rafts, no sign of any other survivors. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his water-soaked wallet. He carefully opened it and found the photograph he carried with him - a great shot of Penny and him together the weekend before he'd left. Penny had sneaked the picture into his luggage, and he remembered how he almost cried when he found the picture 6 weeks ago as he unpacked. The photo was wet but still intact and in the growing daylight he stared at the picture, at Penny, remembering that beautiful Sunday afternoon at Venice Beach. So long ago and far away now.

He took the container for the emergency supplies and fashioned a bailer to scoop out the water in the bottom of the raft. He need to try to dry out the raft or at least keep him from swimming in the water, and the time he spent emptying the raft of water would distract him from his dire situation. He was totally alone in the North Sea.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - Leonard's Room

Monday: over two days since the terrible news had come, but still no word about Leonard. Pressing workloads pushed Howard and Raj to visit their offices, although their hearts weren't into it. They would try not to stay long, but at least they'd give some "face time" at work, and maybe it would be a momentary distraction to the overwhelming worry about Leonard. Likewise, Amy had a major presentation that she would have to struggle to get through, all the while checking her phone for any text messages about Leonard. When it comes to work and bosses, even in the worst of situations it seems the message is "Life goes on" (whether you like it or not).

Bernadette, emotionally and physically exhausted from all that had happened and from her unexpected responsibility as cheerleader and decision-maker for the group, went back to her apartment for a bath and a nap.

Penny hadn't spent much time in her own apartment since Saturday morning - she couldn't be alone and they wouldn't have left her alone. But for a little while on Monday their collective absence from the apartment would leave Sheldon alone to watch over Penny. He'd cancelled the 2 classes he was to teach that day, which his boss greeted with a less than sympathetic "OK". He had some research he could handle at home on his computer, but efforts to focus his attention on that work were proving fruitless. With the apartment's cordless phone at his side, he mostly kept checking the website of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts to see if the North Sea storm had abated at all. 60 hours since the capsize and nothing from Cal Tech, the US Embassy, or the Search and Rescue teams about Leonard, the ship, or other survivors. Nothing.

Sheldon was also starting to get concerned because Penny had been in Leonard's room since last night, and his periodic knock-knock-knock on the the bedroom door returned only a meek "I'm OK, please don't come in" from Penny, who lay on Leonard's bed clutching his pillow with its residual scent of Leonard's cologne. Sheldon's several attempts to bring Penny tea, the only comfort response he really knew, were unsuccessful. He was really uncomfortable without Amy or Bernadette there, as he knew his own limitations when it came to caring for someone who was sad and scared. Singing "Soft Kitty" to Penny, like he did when she dislocated her shoulder, iwasn't going to help this time. And could he dare admit to himself that, somewhere deep inside, he, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, was having those same sad and scared feelings? Enough of that! He turned his gaze back to the laptop screen and the research work that he tried, in vain, to study.

Amy promised to get back to Sheldon's apartment by 6 PM, and Bernadette, skipping work, would be back sooner. All six of them would be together for some food that evening, that is if anyone could eat.

Inside Leonard's room, filled with all of the nerdy toys that Penny always found amusing (and loved to tease Leonard about) Penny finally manage to sit up on Leonard's bed, still holding that pillow to her chest. She felt a mess - her makeup, her hair, her rumpled clothes, but she had no energy to do anything. The shade on the bedroom window was still down, and the little light that came in around the edges of the window cast an eerie look to the room. She'd startle whenever the apartment phone rang, but it was always Howard, Bernie, Amy or Raj, or one of Leonard's fellow researchers at Cal Tech checking in for any word. She began to dread that phone ring.

Penny replayed a thousand times those brief moments in the car at the airport. Even with Sheldon's tantrum in the backseat, there was that moment as she kissed Leonard goodbye that everything else melted away. They'd had some wonderful, intimate conversations during the two weeks before Leonard left, but she had waited until that last moment before he exited the car to tell him that she loved him. Why had it taken her so long? It wasn't that she hadn't loved Leonard - she had...for a long time.

She wondered about her past romantic relationships, especially Kurt with whom she had lived before she moved into Los Robles. He had treated her so badly. Mike was no better. David was all charming and even smart...but had no problem trying to cheat on his wife with Penny. With men, it always seemed to end badly for her. Penny realized how eager she had always been to please her boyfriends. It never seemed enough. Even with her own father, who, it was clear, was disappointed that he got a daughter instead of the son he'd really wanted. Once Penny hit puberty and was no longer a little tomboy and was no longer Daddy's little "Slugger", her father became more distant to her. Leonard was nothing like any of them and didn't fit the description of what Penny had always thought was the right guy. The past six years with Leonard in her life seemed to turn all her assumptions about men upside down. She knew that she had confused him, but it was only because she was so confused herself.

Sitting on Leonard's bed surrounded by the things he loved Penny felt close to him for a moment, and then the reality of the past three days flooded back in to her mind. She climbed off the bed facing the window and slowly opened the blind, squinting momentarily as the light streamed into the room. Where is he... I can't lose him now, she ached, holding back more tears. Penny had never been one for church or prayer. Never made sense to her to ask God for wishes. But as she stared out the window she found herself asking, well, no, praying, for one more chance with Leonard.

Just then she heard voices coming from the living room - Bernadette and Amy were back for dinner. Raj and Howard held been delayed by work but would be along soon. "I guess I better try to look a little more presentable," she mumbled as she glanced into the dresser mirror. Food didn't really appeal to her. But she'd try to look composed for her friends - after all, they were hurting too. As she finished her makeup and put her hair into a ponytail, her right hand reached up and squeezed the locket around her neck.

Bernadette knocked on Leonard's door and let herself in. She hugged Penny and walked with her back to the living room. By now Howard and Raj had arrived with the food, but no one was saying much. Another day with no news. It wasn't said - it didn't need to be...time was running out for finding their friend.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Super Heroes and Super Planes

It was hard to be certain, but the waves didn't seem as bad now. The flap that covered the opening to the raft hadn't been very effective in keeping water out of the raft, but Leonard finally seemed to be making some headway in bailing out the raft. With a little more work there'd be no more sloshing of water inside. He was still wet, but the moderation of the storm brought warmer air temperatures, which calmed his fears about hypothermia.

Perhaps fortunately, the struggle to empty the raft of the remaining water had kept Leonard's mind off of other things. With the raft floor now only damp, he started thinking on the larger issues before him - Where was he? Was anyone looking for him? Did anyone else survive the capsize? What about Penny and his friends back home - what were they thinking? Poor Penny - Leonard felt worse for her than he did for himself.

It must be Tuesday, he guessed. It had all kind of mashed together, these last few days. He'd already started rationing the water bottles and energy bars - they weren't going to last much longer. He grabbed the EPIRB device as he looked for any information about how long it would continue to send out its SOS signal. Nothing on the device about the battery and its useful life. How much longer would it work, he wondered, and why hasn't a plane or ship found him yet? Leonard knew enough about the human body to know you can go a good while without food, but not long without water, and the 2 water bottles left weren't going to last long.

Amidst the solitude and discomfort of life in the raft, he let his mind wander. Leonard had always loved comic books and super heroes. He loved to pretend as a child that he was an invincible creature - being picked on for his short stature and his intellect gave him plenty of reasons to fantasize about super strong men who could beat up anybody and conquer any evil. He loved characters like The Green Lantern and Batman but felt a strange kinship to Stan Lee's villain, Magneto (although, as Leonard recalled, Stan Lee didn't see Magneto as a real villain, but rather a fighter against those who'd take advantage of the powerless - as Leonard so often felt).

"I sure could use some of those super powers right about now," Leonard half-laughed to himself. Then he smiled as he recalled the New Year's Eve party from a couple years ago and Penny in her Wonder Woman costume with her blond hair peeking out from under that funny black wig. She thought he was cute in his Green Lantern costume.

Leonard had had his share of bad New Year's Eves, but that New Year's party at the comic book store watching Penny kiss her date, Zack - that was the worst. Before they went to that party Penny had told Leonard that Zack was really just a backup plan so she wouldn't be alone that night. Things were really messed up between Penny and himself then, Leonard thought. But he had always loved her. He'd never believed that stuff about love at first sight...until Penny.

He couldn't have imagined back then that he'd ever get back together with the girl who'd moved to LA from Nebraska, all by herself, when she was really still a kid. Leonard always admired how brave Penny was. And now...he felt sad as he pondered the future - would he ever see her again?

As he tried to scoop up the remaining water on the bottom of the raft, Leonard's thoughts drifted back to his childhood. As a kid Leonard also loved airplanes, especially military aircraft. Of course, compared to the space ships of Star Trek and Star Wars these planes were so antiquated and, well... slow. But he particularly liked propeller driven planes more that jets. The rumble of those engines was distinct and powerful. He thought about the summer holiday weekend air shows near his home years ago - he could always tell when an old prop plane was approaching, like one of those old B-17's from the 1940's. Of course, prop planes weren't obsolete yet - even the military still used them for cargo, troops and such.

Despite a less than idyllic childhood, thinking about super heroes and airplanes made him yearn to be back there in New Jersey. Or, he laughed, anywhere but here...wherever that was. With the now more gentle rocking of the life raft Leonard began to drift off to sleep again.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep when he heard it. Was it from a dream? He had, before he fell asleep, been thinking about planes. The rumble was barely perceptible at first, but after a few minutes it became more distinct. Funny, it was that same rumble that he had always loved in those prop planes, kind of like those 4 engine B-17's. He listened more closely, almost holding his breath as he strained to hear. He carefully pulled back the flap and tried to squint. His eyesight was bad without his eyeglasses that had been lost to the sea when he fell into the water after the capsize, so seeing much in detail outside the raft was impossible. He looked around as best he could, but saw nothing. The wind was still gusting periodically, and when it did he couldn't hear much of anything but the flap on the raft slapping the side of the raft.

A few more minutes and the rumble returned, but this time more clearly. He again looked out of the raft and saw it - as best he could tell with his blurry vision, it was a C-130 Hercules - 4 engine turboprop, an aircraft used often in Search and Rescue missions. Leonard could feel his heart rate jump when he realized what he saw. The C-130 came in low over Leonard's raft. As he desperately waved, Leonard squinted again to glimpse the military markings on the wings - British. RAF. The plane made a steep turn and made a second pass over the raft, this time rocking its wings to signal to Leonard that he had been spotted. The plane made one more very low pass, and this time Leonard knew he had been found.

Leonard realized while he was trying to wave to the plane how much his body hurt. "I guess I'm in worse shape than I thought," he said. He needed medical attention soon, that's for sure. But that C-130 couldn't land on the water - somebody else was going to have to pluck him from this raft. The C-130 was now out of sight and its engines could no longer be heard. It was quiet again. "Man, I sure hope they saw me," he sighed.

It was probably not more than an hour - seemed like longer - when Leonard heard a new sound, not like the turbo-prop. It sounded like a...helicopter! Squinting again to try to see, the brightly colored "helo" approached the raft quickly, and before Leonard could fully comprehend what was happening, a crew member in a wet suit had made the drop from the helo into the now agitated water around the raft. He had been found! Leonard tried to offer a big wave of his hand, but the pain to his rib cage stopped him short.

"Hello! I am Lieutenant Tobias Madsen of the Denmark Joint Rescue Coordination Centre," announced the crew member. "What is your name?"

"I am Dr. Leonard Hofstadter - I was a passenger aboard the _R/V Copenhagen_," Leonard yelled.

"Well, Dr. Hofstadter, I am very happy to see you - there have been a lot of people out here looking for you!" replied the Lieutenant. "Let's get you out of here."

As the Lieutenant prepared Leonard to be hoisted up into the helo, Leonard thought about the others aboard the _Copenhagen_. Had anyone else survived? He had so many questions but they'd have to wait for answers. For the moment it was enough to focus on his rescue...and on Penny, to whom he'd given that heart-shaped locket what seemed like an eternity ago. And there was so much he wanted, no, needed to tell her.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Daniel Melone, US Embassy, Denmark

"Tuesday, July 2, 2013" flashed the date on Sheldon's digital calendar as he awoke from a restless night of pretty much no sleep. He'd skipped teaching his summer school classes yesterday but he could feel the cold shoulder of responsibility press on him to report to the campus and at least offer perfunctory lectures. With Leonard's fate still unknown, that was all these students would get from Dr. Sheldon Cooper today.

Penny was still sleeping, or at least resting, in Leonard's bedroom. She'd spent most of her time there since Saturday morning. Sleep for Sheldon was only made more problematic by the sound of the occasional sobbing from Penny that penetrated the thin walls between the two bedroom.

"As long as someone is here with her, it might actually be a relief if I can get away to the campus for a little while," Sheldon confessed to Bernadette in their 7:30 AM phone call. Amy had offered to take the day off to comfort Penny, but Bernie convinced Amy that it would be best if she, Bernadette, stayed with Penny. Amy had softened up a lot since she'd come into the group, but Bernie wasn't sure Amy would know how to support Penny.

"Amy, I explained the situation to my boss and he's OK with my not coming in again today. So it's no big deal," assured Bernadette.

Likewise, Howard and Raj talked it over with Bernadette and Sheldon, and, at least for today, they would try to take care of a few matters at work. Raj shook his head at the Western attitude that placed such a high value on work and so-called productivity and that would give such little leeway to employees who were suffering with worry about a friend. But he'd seen it happen in his own country, too. Bernadette promised Howard and Raj that she'd contact them immediately if she heard anything.

With Sheldon having left to teach his classes, Bernadette found herself alone in the living room of Apt 4A. Leonard's bedroom door was still closed, with Penny on the other side. Bernie poured two cups of coffee and headed toward Leonard's room to check on Penny.

Just as Bernie turned down the hall, the apartment phone rang. The ringing startled her and she felt the sting of the coffee on her right hand as it spilled. Bernie put the two cups down on the end table and grabbed a towel with one hand as she grabbed the cordless phone on the counter with the other hand.

"Hello, may I speak with Dr. Cooper, please?" came the official-sounding urgent voice on the phone. Bernadette, unsure of what this could mean, inhaled quickly and stuttered,

"I'm...uh...I'm sorry, Dr. Cooper isn't here at the moment. This is Bernadette Wolowitz, a personal friend of Dr. Cooper. May I help you?"

There was momentary silence as Bernadette listened for a reply. She could feel a tightening in her stomach as she wondered what was next. Was it...no, she couldn't go there.

"My name is Daniel Melone, Chief of Staff to the US Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Denmark. I am extremely happy to inform you that Dr. Leonard Hofstadter has been rescued and is currently at a hospital in Copenhagen. I do not know his exact medical condition but I believe he will be OK."

Bernadette's right hand shook as she scribbled down all the information that the embassy officer was giving her, including the name of the hospital and the patient services representative that she and Penny could contact. Her heart was racing. She was overwhelmed with joy and relief but tried to hold her emotions in check to be sure she got all of the information.

"Thank you so much for calling, Mr. Melone," Bernie nearly screamed. "This is the greatest news."

With tears streaming down her face, Bernie tossed the phone onto the lliving room couch and yelled for Penny, "Penny, Penny, he's OK, Leonard's OK. Oh my God, they found him alive! He's alive!"

Bernadette pushed open Leonard's bedroom door to see Penny standing there, eyes wide open and unable to speak.

"Penny, he's OK, he's really OK. I mean, they said he's in the hospital, but he's going to be OK!" Bernie kept repeating. The two friends hugged and cried, incredulous at the miraculous turn of events. Bernie walked Penny out to the living room couch and sat her down gently as Bernie prepared her list of who to call and in what order. Penny became quiet again. Like she was Saturday morning when the knock on her door brought the bad news, she was again almost in shock. Could she allow herself to believe what Bernie was telling her? Was Leonard, the love of her life, really alive? He was.

Two hours later and Apt. 4A was a-buzz in activity and lots of conversation and planning. They were all there now - Howard, Bernadette, Raj, Amy and Sheldon - sharing hugs with Penny and celebrating the news and the realization that their collective future would include this wonderful friend who, if truth be told, they all had begun to fear had been lost forever. Even Sheldon managed a hug or two.

It was now 11:30 AM Tuesday and Bernie and Penny had already spoken with the Copenhagen Hospital's patient services representative and the doctor overseeing Leonard's care - he'd be there for a week or so recovering from emergency surgery to his left leg, and his cracked ribs needed time to heal. But it looked like he'd be OK. The patient services rep was calling from Leonard's room, and Penny took the cordless phone into Leonard's room and closed the door as she heard his voice for the first time.

"Hey, you," Leonard's hoarse voice filtered through the phone. Penny did all she could to keep from breaking down.

"Oh, Leonard, I can't believe it. How do you feel, honey?" Penny's voice trembled. While the others spoke softly in the living room, Penny and Leonard finished their exchange when the nurse interrupted Leonard - more tests now. Penny promised she'd get to him as soon as she could.

"Don't worry about me, Penny - I'm fine," reassured Leonard. "I'll be home soon." Of course that would not be soon enough for Penny. No way.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - First Class to Denmark!

Penny opened Leonard's bedroom door and returned to her friends who were standing, now silent but excited, in the living room, anticipating Penny's words. She was smiling broadly as she wiped away the tears. As they gathered around her, Penny shared pieces of the all-too-brief conversation with her boyfriend.

Penny's spirits were high and she was speaking fast and almost stumbling over her words. But it was all good. It was great. She hadn't felt so happy since...like forever. But she was half a world away and needed to be over there...Copenhagen...the hospital...his room...now! Thank God she had the passport she'd gotten before her trip to Switzerland that never happened when she got the flu! It'll sure come in handy now.

Howard had disappeared from the apartment into the hallway for a few minutes, on his cell phone to Stephen Hawking's personal assistant, Katie Davis. Katie knew Howard well - it was Howard, after all, that had recommended Leonard for this expedition, a well-meaning gesture by a friend that had left Howard silently racked with guilt since the news broke last Saturday. Now that guilt turned to relief, and Howard wanted to see what he could do to help.

"Katie, it's Howard." Hearing Katie's response, Howard chirped, "Yeah, well, I'm a whole lot better now, that's for sure!" Hawking's office had been dealing with the shock of the loss of the vessel and, until a few hours ago, what was presumed as the loss of the entire crew and passengers. Amidst the sadness, the news about Leonard had raised everyone's spirits, and Howard and Katie shared a moment of mutual joy.

"Listen, Katie, I know you guys are overwhelmed with stuff right now with the ship and the loss - it's terrible. We're so sorry. But we need to do something for Leonard and Penny, and I'm hoping your office can make it happen," he said.

"We need to get Penny over there as soon as possible. Priority. I feel a little awkward asking this, but do you think you could pull some strings and get two first class tickets to Copenhagen and three open-return tickets for Copenhagen - LAX, with departure from LAX either tonight or tomorrow latest?" Howard's voice was unusually strong and decisive. He was sure Penny shouldn't have to travel there alone, and, although he hadn't discussed it with her, Howard thought Bernie might gladly go with her. And Bernie's passport should be up to date, as she'd done some international travel not long ago.

"Of course, Howard, absolutely - we can make it happen. Dr. Hawking would not want it any other way," Katie assured him. "We'll take care of transportation and hotels too."

Howard opened the door to 4A and motioned Bernadette into the hall and explained his proposed plan. Bernie hugged him and gave him a "Good job" pat on his back side.

"Katie, it's a go. Call me back on my cell as soon as you have the flight information. The other passenger will be my wife, Bernadette Wolowitz - you've met her before," Howard smiled at Bernie as he spoke to Katie.

Howard and Bernie re-entered the apartment unnoticed as the others talked with Penny and each other. The apartment phone had been ringing constantly as the word spread.

Bernie jumped in, "OK, Penny let's get you packed. You and I are headed to Copenhagen - where's your passport?" Howard explained the game plan, and Penny almost tackled Howard as she hugged him and thanked him profusely. Howard, for his own part, felt happy to have helped, but he still harbored some unearned guilt about ever having intervened to get Leonard on the expedition. What was that about no good deed going unpunished, he thought.

Amy, wanting to help her friend, suggested to Bernie that she could help Penny get ready, while Bernie and Howard run back to their apartment so that Bernie could get ready. Just then as Howard was heading toward the hall, his cell lit up - "Incoming message from Katie Davis". "Flight set - 6:30 PM LAX - 2 first class seats - car service will be at Los Robles address at 4:15PM - bring passports!"

The next few hours flew by. Sheldon was very relieved about Leonard but felt a little ignored - he was used to his required place as the center of attention, and right now he was anything but, as plans were made for Penny and Bernadette's trip. Howard and Bernie were back at their apartment as Bernie threw clothes together for the flight, and Amy was across the hall with Penny getting her ready also. Raj was still in the apartment but that wasn't much of an audience for Sheldon. And the phone calls...when would they stop, Sheldon groaned. Everything around him had been...well, a little out of control. Sheldon wondered how long it would take for life to assume its desired predictability, with Leonard and Sheldon like it used to be.

As he stood by the bathroom, Sheldon looked into Leonard's room, with the bedspread and pillows in a heap where Penny had tossed and turned. Hmmm...what was it? Weird - something. Sheldon couldn't quite make sense of the feeling that came over him - maybe life wasn't going to return to the normal that he knew. Something may have changed.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Loose Ends and Knots

The Delta flight from LAX left on time. Bernie and Penny were being treated like VIP's - the flight crew had been informed of the situation and made sure the girls had whatever they needed. For Penny, this was all new and strange - First Class was remarkable. Didn't know people lived like this, she thought. Her appetite had returned and the meals were extraordinary - not the usual bag of pretzels on the trips she'd been on before. And the wine...both she and Bernie were taking full advantage of the refills. "Sure," Penny exclaimed, "I'll try a glass of the Malbec." The two of them had fun with a little wine tasting party. They toasted Leonard, now safe and recovering. Penny then raised a glass to Howard, who'd magnificently set in motion events that found Penny and Bernie side by side on Flight 8549.

"Bernie, you've got yourself a good man," Penny offered as they sipped the vintage red.

"So do you, Penny, so do you!" returned Bernadette. A couple more Kleenex were offered by the First Class cabin attendant as the two friends smiled.

It promised to be a long flight - 15 hours from Los Angeles to Copenhagen, via a brief stop in Paris. Scheduled arrival in Copenhagen at about 7PM local time. With the cabin lights turned down for some quiet time in First Class, Bernie had drifted off to sleep. Like the rest of them, Bernie hadn't slept much since Saturday, and the relief, the comfy leather First Class seat and, finally, a good meal, with copious amounts of celebratory wine, caught up to her.

Penny smiled as she glanced at her good friend catching some well-deserved rest. Oddly, even with the wine Penny was still awake in the darkened cabin. So many thoughts raced through her mind about the past few days - it almost hurt to think about it. And Leonard - what was she going to say - well, OK, HOW exactly was she going to say it? She'd thought about it over the past few weeks, but it was always a conversation that she was going to have after he returned from a successful trip and they'd have a nice, normal reunion. But all that had changed. Finally slumber overcame the Nebraska girl as the Airbus widebody continued on course to Europe.

Wednesday, July 3 7:15PM - the Air France connecting flight from Paris to Copenhagen touched down at Copenhagen Airport. Penny was surprised how gently the giant plane's wheels seemed to kiss the tarmac. Finally, they had arrived. Holy crap on a cracker, it had been one long trip, Penny thought as she and Bernie gathered up their shoes and magazines and prepared to disembark through the First Class door. She and Bernadette thanked the flight crew profusely for taking such good care of them on this special mission.

As soon as Bernie and Penny exited the jetway, an Air France gate representative approached them, and introducing herself, escorted them to a private conference room where a youngish man in a dark gray suit was waiting.

"Hello, you must be Penny and Bernadette. I'm Daniel Melone from the US Embassy," he said as he extended his right hand in greeting.

"I should tell you that, as you may appreciate, the tragic events of the _R/V Copenhagen_ have generated public interest both here in Denmark and worldwide. Moreover, the rescue of your boyfriend has sparked understandable excitement among the various media and public," Daniel explained as he looked at Penny.

Daniel continued, "There are a lot of members of the press here at the airport, down at baggage claim, right now. They somehow got word of your trip and arrival here. I would anticipate that you'd prefer not to deal with a press conference just now, and we have arranged your departure through a private exit to a waiting car. Your luggage has already been retrieved from Baggage Claims and is in the car."

Penny and Bernadette looked at each other in wonder. They had all been so focused on Leonard, and so sheltered from the outside world since Saturday, that they hadn't realized how big a story it had become, especially since Leonard's rescue.

"Press conference?" Penny asked. "Oh no, I don't want a press conference. Please, just get me to the hospital. Can we go right now?"

As the black car sped away from the airport, leaving the members of the press unaware of their escape, Penny glanced out the car window. Rain drops ran down the outside of the glass, adding a touch of beauty to the view of the buildings she saw. Her first trip overseas - never thought it would be like this, she thought.

Her heart was racing. How would he be? Was he hurt badly? Leonard wasn't good with needles and blood - normally he'd faint at the slightest cut, but she didn't know if his assurances on the phone were just a facade to keep her from worrying. But, she was here. She had made it. And she'd be reunited with her experimental physicist boyfriend soon. She managed a big smile as she thought about the nerdy guy with the Star Wars toys that had now become the most important person in her life. She remembered that day in his lab when he explained the Holographic Theory while showing her that little pencil trick and the rotating globe. He was so much more than the guy who first awkwardly introduced himself to her six years ago when she moved in to 4B. That day in the lab was maybe the - what was the term he sometimes used? - "critical mass" for her in the relationship. That was probably the day that she really knew that she loved him.

As the black car proceeded through the rainy streets of the city, Penny opened her handbag and saw the small box she'd carried on the trip. She'd made the purchase a couple of weeks ago. No one else knew, not even Bernadette. Penny hoped that Leonard would be OK with it. After all, she couldn't buy HIM an engagement ring. She didn't have a lot of money to spend, but a deal was a deal, and she had agreed to Leonard's Valentine's Day plan - she'd have to ask him. So, she bought herself a ring, not expensive, but that wasn't the point. She'd hope that he'd understand the gesture when she asked him. Why not? She'd present the little box to him to open and let him put the ring on her finger. Mixing old and new, um - what was the word that the guys always used?, oh yeah, she thought - "paradigms." Anyway, it was the best idea she could come up with. What mattered to her, and what she knew would matter to Leonard, was what he'd been waiting for..."YES!".

A short time later the car arrived at the large, modern hospital complex. "Somewhere in this building is my Leonard," she said to herself as the door opened. It was another private entrance to avoid what was apparently more press at the main entrance. Penny could feel her heart pounding, and Bernadette took her hand as they made their way to an elevator that would whisk them up to the 10th Floor. This is it, she thought.

The hospital representative and Daniel Melone escorted Penny and Bernie to Leonard's room. Leonard had been informed that they were coming and he made sure to look reasonably normal to reassure her. His leg was in a cast and he had the usual drip IV and monitors beeping, but the doctors had told him he'd be able to fly within a week.

"Leonard!" Penny's exclamation was heard all the way down to the nurse's station.

"Penny, honey!" Leonard replied. The two lost contact with the rest of the world for a few minutes as they gently hugged and kissed. Leonard looked actually a lot better than Penny had feared, and his calm voice told her all she needed to know.

"Thanks so much for being such a good friend...to both of us, Bernadette," Leonard said as he and Penny both looked back at Bernie, herself now wiping away tears at the sight of her two friends together again.

After some casual conversation and Leonard's abbreviated account of the harrowing days in the life raft, and his sorrow over the loss of the rest of the ship's party, the conversation quieted down. Daniel bid his goodbyes, promising to check on the three of them tomorrow. Bernie decided to join Daniel who would drop her off at the hotel. She knew Penny and Leonard needed some alone time, and, frankly, Bernie needed some too. She couldn't wait to get to her room to call Howard with an update.

Back in Leonard's hospital room Penny and Leonard talked about what had happened and what each had almost lost. Penny poured out her feelings in a way that caught Leonard by surprise. She cried and laughed as she spoke softly to him.

Finally, catching her breath, she reached down into her handbag, slowly and delicately removed the small box that she had kept close to her since she'd left her apartment. She handed the box to Leonard and said,

"This is for you...to give to me. A deal's a deal. Sorry - I had really wanted to embarrass you with a Jumbotron proposal, but it didn't work out," Penny smiled.

Leonard opened the box. The ring was small but it was beautiful, made so much more so because Penny had picked it out. He remembered what he had said to her that Valentine's Day night,

"It's all on you."

And so it was, and Penny had done it beautifully. Leonard carefully removed the ring from the box and placed it on her finger. And in a strong, clear voice, Leonard responded,

"And, Penny, I say 'Yes' to you, too".

They were about to hug when Penny's phone rang - she didn't even know it would work in Denmark. Maybe that's what Raj had done to her phone before she left.

"Hello?" Penny said, wondering who was calling her now.

"Penny, it's Scotty Cornell," came the voice. Of all the possible callers right now, her agent wasn't among her top guesses.

"Scotty? Um, what's going on? Why are you calling? You will not guess where I am right now and what's happened this week." Penny, caught up in the emotion that she was now ENGAGED, let the words tumble out, "I'm going to be getting married, Scotty! Can you believe it!"

"Congratulations, kiddo! That's great news. Yeah, I heard about Leonard and everything. So happy for you. But, listen, I hate to crowd your plate, with all you've got going on, but, well - are you ready? You got the part in that Lifetime movie! The lead! They loved you," Scotty exclaimed.

Penny looked at Leonard, who had a puzzled look, wondering what was going on.

"Sweetie, I got the movie part!" Penny beamed to Leonard, barely able to contain herself. His face brightened even more. He'd always known she could do it. Leonard and Penny hugged again. They talked more about the new future they'd share together, both of them relieved, grateful, happy, excited... and exhausted. Penny wondered about the little prayer she said back in Leonard's room. Maybe there was something to it after all. Finally, the two of them fell asleep on Leonard's hospital bed.

Half way around the world Sheldon sat at his computer. He still couldn't quite grasp it all, but more than before he could feel that life was not going to return to normal. Something important was changing. As he returned his focus to the laptop screen, alone for the moment in 4A, he contemplated the unfamiliar feeling.

Hmmm...well, he thought, maybe, just maybe, he'd be OK with it.

THE END...

_Author's note:_

_I hope you've enjoyed this little TBBT Fan-tasy. It was really fun to write - actually it was more like the story just wrote itself, and I was along for the ride. It's kind of a trip to see some of the story events unfold as you type - stuff you didn't have in mind when you started but just sort of appears as the story develops. If you haven't tried writing Fan Fiction, give it a shot. Maybe, as with my experience, you'll become a passenger rather than the driver._

_ I appreciate all of the kind comments I have received from the TBBT Fan Fiction members who were nice enough to read the story and provide some feedback. As is hopefully evident in the story, I love the characters of Penny and Leonard. Couldn't have their story end here any other way._

_BTW, all of the characters I added - the embassy official, the search and rescue crew member, Stephen Hawking's assistant, etc., are all just fictional characters. The names were made up by me and do not reflect any real person. Leonard's research vessel's name was also made up._


End file.
